


From Omega

by greyingwarden



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Established Relationship, F/F, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 04:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6597394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyingwarden/pseuds/greyingwarden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard honestly had not expected to see Aria after she had left her back on Omega. She'd said her goodbyes, or, at least, attempted to, and left, not turning back. And yet there the asari was, sitting on “her” couch in Purgatory, looking as if she had never left in the first place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Shepard turned away from the scene that played out in front of her. She couldn’t bring herself to care about the man that was being choked to death; he deserved it and Aria… Aria needed to do it. Seeing Nyreen’s death had been more than enough to make the Spectre feel empty, defeated, despite only knowing her for a short time. Shepard could hardly even begin to fathom what Aria must have felt.

She stared down at the growing crowd of people below. Some were obviously on an adrenaline high still, brushing off still bleeding wounds to see their queen re-crown herself. Others were covered in blood that was undoubtedly human, the color mirroring that of the iconic stripe running down her arm. Shepard was half surprised none of the citizens of Omega were carrying Cerberus agents’ heads on pikes; she certainly would have if she was in their position.

It was not long before Aria strolled up next to her, the soft tapping of her heels giving her enough warning. The asari’s whole body was tense, much more wound up than Shepard had ever seen. She could feel her brows draw together, a frown gracing her lips as she placed a gloved hand on Aria’s shoulder. The halfhearted gesture was shrugged off not a second later.

“Don’t.”

Shepard let her hand drop. Her face was still etched with concern, but she let the words die in her throat.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” She said quietly, Aria’s eyes flicking over to her with anger burning bright, “For both Nyreen and…”

“ _Don’t_ , Shepard.”

Her mouth clicked shut, lips pressed almost painfully together. She nodded shortly. Shepard moved toward the steps and closer to Bray, leaning against the railing rather than leaving. She suspected both aliens thought she would have taken the option to leave.

Shepard ignored all of the batarian’s attempts to get her to leave Omega, instead keeping her eyes firmly locked on Aria’s back as she gave a rallying speech. It felt as if someone had buried a fist in her stomach, seeing and hearing about all of those who died. Shepard found it no less than astounding that Aria was continuing on, even though she must have felt worse.

Aria’s reaction to Nyreen’s death, not even an hour ago, was something Shepard had been expecting to happen for _months_. Ever since Aria had divulged to her the details of Liselle’s death, she had known that it was only a matter of time before she broke down. Shepard had more than enough experience with the grieving process and knew the warning signs enough to predict exactly what would happen, especially considering Aria’s temper. It amazed her that Aria had lasted this long before tearing through Cerberus like they were dolls.

“ _Don’t fuck with Omega._ ”

Shepard was drawn out of her thoughts by Aria’s declaration. The asari stepped back and turned toward her, lips turning down as they locked eyes.

“Shepard--”

She cut Aria off, taking a step away from the railing, “I’m not leaving, not yet.”

Aria’s eyes narrowed, jaw set, and said, “You’ll get your troops, ships, and eezo. What more do you _want_ , Shepard?”

Shepard shot a look toward Bray. The man paused, glancing at Aria before he retreated to give them some semblance of privacy. She drew in a deep breath to collect herself and rested her gaze back on Aria. The biotic had taken a few steps forward during the brief exchange, coming to stand barely a foot in front of her.

She had an expectant look on her face and Shepard grasped fleetingly at words that were no longer on the tip of her tongue.

“Fuck, I--,” Shepard pressed her lips together, turning her head to look at something that wasn't staring back at her, “Are you ok-- are you _going_ to be okay?”

Even from her peripheral vision, Aria looked decidedly blank.

She exhaled and looked back. “Stupid question, sorry. I guess this is the last time we'll see each other?”

Shepard didn't expect Aria to answer, even as she turned fully and began walking down the stairs.

Quietly, just loud enough for her to hear, came a whisper, “Try not to get yourself killed, Shepard.”

“Goodbye, Aria.” She returned in the same tone.

It took her a few short minutes to find Bray and, soon enough, Shepard was leaving Omega.


	2. Chapter 2

Shepard honestly had not expected to see Aria after she had left her back on Omega. She'd said her goodbyes, or, at least, attempted to, and left, not turning back. 

And yet there the asari was, sitting on “her” couch in Purgatory, looking as if she had never left in the first place. The second Shepard spotted her, she stood stock still at the top of the first set of stairs. The sudden stop of movement drew that familiar pair of striking blue eyes. Even from afar, she could see the smirk on Aria’s lips.

Aria nodded her head toward the large open space next to her, idly pulling her leg up so that her ankle could rest on the opposite knee. Shepard knew that she could pretend, unconvincingly, that she didn’t see the summons, instead walking forward and up to the bar, but…

She mentally cursed herself, giving in and walking toward the area Aria claimed as her own. Bray clearly recognized her and exchanged a glance with his boss before, once again, retreating. Shepard frowned at the batarian as he passed her. Bray gave her a semi-apologetic look, disappearing off into the crowd a few seconds later. She wanted to spit curses at the man, but instead she merely walked on, collapsing heavily into the comfortable sofa.

“I thought you were staying on Omega?” Shepard asked flippantly, signaling a waitress to bring her a drink.

Aria’s smile only grew as she relaxed into the couch further, “It seems the galaxy can’t keep us apart. I’ve been consolidating my resources since we took back Omega, and it’s easier to do the coordinating from here. So, unfortunately, it looks like I’ll be slumming it on the Citadel for the time being.”

Shepard raised a single brow, only half believing her statement. She crossed her legs and turned toward Aria, resting her elbow on the back of the couch, supporting her head with her fist.

“That’s it? No devious schemes about overthrowing the Council? No one else to kill?”

The smirk dropped minutely, “There are only two men that I want dead, and you’ll kill them soon enough.”

She frowned, feeling anger, fresh and bright, burning in her chest, “The Illusive Man and Leng.” It was not a question.

Aria’s expression sharpened with a beautiful savageness, “They’ll suffer when you kill them, Shepard.” That was, as well, a statement.

“They deserve it,” She agreed, movement off to the side catching her eye.

The waitress had returned with her drink, hips swaying in a way to draw in more tips. Shepard tapped in a large tip on her omni-tool before accepting the glass with a slight nod. The woman glanced down at her own omni-tool, giving her a large, and rather inviting, smile as she saw the amount.

“Have a nice night, Commander. Please call me over if you need anything more.” The waitress said, leaving with an even larger swing to her hips. Frankly, Shepard was astounded that she didn’t fall, with the sway and the tall heels. Practice made perfect, she supposed.

Shepard turned her gaze back toward Aria, taking a long sip. It was ryncol mixed with something that originated from Earth; what, exactly, she couldn’t tell. The bartender, and waitresses, obviously had become used to seeing and serving her in Purgatory. These days, ryncol was one of the few alcohols that could even get the human buzzed, let alone flat out drunk.

Aria’s brow markings twitched upward. Shepard gave a halfhearted shrug at the look, knocking back a good amount of her drink and swallowed.

“I always give good tips,” She said offhandedly, “Living off small tips is a pain in the ass, especially when you have to kick customers out for going too far. It’s a bitch that you can’t get reimbursed for the credits you were supposed to get.”

“It’s easier to kill them and rob their corpses than waiting for them to be kicked out. You get paid that way.”

Shepard gave a short laugh, “True enough, but blood getting underneath leather or latex is so uncomfortable.”

Aria made a noise that Shepard would swear was an amused snort. The atmosphere, even with the thrumming bass that was commonplace in Purgatory, felt incredibly relaxed despite the war that continued raging on.

She signalled in the vaguely right direction of the waitress from before, bringing her drink up to down the remaining liquid. It burned on its way down, in only a way that ryncol could, and let her eyes drift shut as she relished the feeling. Drinking was a vice she indulged often, or perhaps too often, according to Chakwas and various members of her crew. Shepard suspected drinking was one of the few things that kept her going, which was rather… disconcerting.

“What are you doing here, Shepard?”

Shepard’s muscles tensed at the sudden, though low, words. A grimace pulled at her lips and she opened her eyes to meet the blue eyes across from her.

“Mandatory shore leave, courtesy of Hackett.” She said, before seeing the waitress approach.

The woman obviously sensed the need for privacy between the two. She handed Shepard a new, full glass and grabbed the empty one, hip sway not so apparent as she hurried away. Shepard barely repressed as snort as she took a quick sip.

“I’ve already had to kill my clone so far,” She continued, “So, I thought I would come down here, ignore everyone, and drink myself into a stupor, even though I, apparently, now own Anderson’s old apartment, which has plenty of alcohol. A shitton of bourbon and whiskey, Noverian rum, a hoard of wine, batarian vodka…”

“But not ryncol.” Aria said, being as perceptive--and amused, if Shepard was reading her correctly--as ever.

Shepard tried her best not to pout, “None. So, I’m here in this shithole with you.” She took another sip after she ended.

“You can buy ryncol by the bottle, Shepard.”

Before she could speak, Aria gave her a look and motioned the waitress over. Once again, the woman hurried over, standing with her hands grasped in front of her.

“What can I get for you?”

“Two bottles of ryncol, standard.” Aria’s eyes cut over to Shepard, an indescribable look in her eyes, “On me.”

The waitress blinked and seemed to deflate. “I’ll get that for you right away.” She said, before removing herself to get the order.

Shepard finished off her second glass just to frown at the asari. “Aria, you don’t have to--”

“Don’t argue with me, Shepard.” The words were not necessarily harsh, but they did have a certain bite that made her mouth go dry.

She swallowed thickly, “...Alright.” There was a pause. “Did you just invite yourself to my apartment?”

“You have Noverian rum. This hellhole doesn’t.”

Shepard was startled into laughter, the ryncol running through her system probably not helping. She pressed the back of her hand against her lips to muffle the noise. This whole scenario felt completely unreal to her; Shepard hadn’t thought she would ever see Aria again, let alone bring the criminal back to an apartment that had a down payment costing more than what she made in a year.

“ _Fuck_ ,” She nearly wheezed, “Okay, okay, but you’re going to have to drive.”

Aria merely made a facial expression that was most closely described as raising an eyebrow. Shepard could almost hear the unspoken “ _idiot_ ” and see the eyeroll. The nonplussed countenance of the asari almost made her snort again; instead, she simply smiled at her.

“Sorry, I’ve been a little bit of a lightweight ever since I died and got a new liver and all.”

There was an _actual_ eyeroll, this time. The reaction made Shepard’s smile widen, just the slightest bit of pain shooting under her skin from the bright, healing scars.

The short moment of silence was interrupted by the waitress’ return. She held each bottle of ryncol by the neck, despite the fact that, even for a “standard” size, were quite large. Judging by the straining muscles in her hands and forearms, the bottles were as heavy as they looked.

Shepard immediately got to her feet and shook off the sudden blur in her vision. She could feel effects lessening with each passing moment; the filtration system had always been something that Shepard wasn't sure if she wanted to yell at Miranda or kiss her for. It certainly lowered the chance of her dying due to poison, but she also couldn't get drunk for very long. 

Pushing the thought aside, Shepard took the bottles and thanked the woman, a tone of not so subtle dismissal in her voice. She shot a look over her shoulder, but the asari was already up and walking past her.

“Try to keep up, Shepard.” There was a was a barely noticeable, playful undertone that made Shepard fight off a smirk.

She snorted, “I’m not _that_ drunk, T’Loak.”

As she descended the stairs, she decided that she _was_ , in fact, drunk. Even at the slow pace she took, it was enough to make her head throb. It wasn’t as pronounced as it should have been, by any means. She was definitely going to kiss Miranda the next time she saw the woman.

The small crowd that stood at the bottom of the stairs seemed to part as Aria strode forward. Her footsteps were slow and measured, the tapping of her heels barely audible over the music. Shepard was two steps behind her, heart beating in time to the small _click click click_. They did not speak to one another as they exited Purgatory. It could not truly be called a “silence” due to the still thumping bass, but it was comfortable nonetheless.

A skycar was waiting with the hatch open, Bray sitting in the driver’s seat. Shepard shot Aria a look out of the corner of her eye, nearly frowning at the fact that the asari had most likely planned to go home with her. Bray nodded at the both of them and evacuated the seat, letting Aria slide in.

The batarian gave her a smirk. “Good luck, human.”

“You little _shit_.” Shepard said quietly, an ounce of awe in her voice, “You planned for this.”

He gave a one shouldered shrug and moved past her, reentering the club. 

She scowled after Bray’s retreating back, feeling ever so slightly thankful. Shepard pushed the set up from her thoughts, circling the skycar to take a seat in the passenger’s side. The top glided shut and Aria glanced over at her, looking expectant.

Shepard easily rattled off the apartment address, relaxing into the comfortable seat. The skycar lifted further from the ground and sped off, the engine barely making any noise.

They did not speak for the entirety of the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the second chapter! I added another one because originally the next part was supposed to be in this one but.... yeah. Expect smut next chapter.
> 
> Check out my tumblr @greyingwarden! There'll probably be semi-frequent chapter progress posts.

**Author's Note:**

> So that's the first part! I was originally going to post this in one go but the second part seems to be escaping me for now. This is the first fanfic I've posted in 6 years, so hopefully it's well received?
> 
> Many thanks to @filmsandvideogames over on Tumblr for helping me edit! My own Tumblr is @greyingwarden, and there will probably be occasional posting from me about how the second part is coming along!


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